Point Marion man sentenced
Fayette County Judge Gerald R. Solomon sentenced a Point Marion man to 37 1/2 to 75 years in prison for raping a two-year-old girl. Robert Eugene Sapp, 24, was caring for the girl last summer when the child’s mother went to West Virginia. He was found guilty of anally raping the girl following a jury trial earlier this month.
During the trial, a forensic scientist testified that there was seminal fluid in Sapp’s underwear as well as skin cells from the child. The match was 44 billion to one, the scientist testified.
Although Sapp testified that he did not touch the child, the girl required surgery at Children’s Hospital to repair damage from the assault. Police also found two diapers with blood in them and a towel with blood on it that matched the child’s during the investigation.
In sentencing Sapp on Wednesday, Solomon ordered consecutive sentences for each of the five charges of which Sapp was convicted. For the rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated assault counts, Sapp was sentenced to 120 to 240 months- or 10 to 20 years- for each count. He was also sentenced to 60 to 120 months or 5 to 10 years and 30 to 60 months or 2 1/2 to 5 years for the other counts.